Container



Sept. 16, 1941. D, T. @ULL 2,256,111

CONTAINER Filed Dc. 21.` 193e Patented Sept. 16, 1941 CONTAINER Dennis T. Gull, Cicero, Ill., assigner tor Orville Fox, Oak Park, Ill.

Application December 21, 1939, Serial No. 310,294

tainer for merchandise which is delivered by one person and picked up by the owner later on,

and is more particularly described as a milk bottle container.

An important object of '-vthe 4invention Ais to V provide a container which is freely accessible from the outside when the container is empty but is inaccessible unless unlocked when the container is filled or has received something which it is intended to hold.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a spring lock Which prevents the loading doors from being opened except when the container is empty.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of means for preventing access through the loading doors until the container is properly emptied.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the preferred construction being illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a container in the form of a milk bottle holder embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the container when in bottle holding condition;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the container when it is empty; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the loading doors with a protecting lip.

In delivering merchandise of various kinds, but particularly milk, it is frequently necessary to leave it outside of the door or room of the customer where it is also easily accessible to another person or to an animal, or so that it may be stolen. This is particularly true of milk delivered in bottles and left by the milkman at an hour when the customer is usually sleeping. The present invention is designed and intended to provide a receptacle closed by a locked door and having a loading door through which the bottle may be inserted, but provided with a lock which prevents the operation of the loading door when a milk bottle has been placed therein.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a receptacle 5 is preferably made of sheet metal and of a size slightly larger than the bottle or other merchandise which it is adapted to receive. Instead of having a single compartment as shown, it is obvious that a connected row of such compartments might be made, each having its own loading door or a 2 claims. (oi. 23e-41) single compartmentl may be made large enough for a number of bottlesthe loading door being closed against immediate re-entry as soon as it is lled and the loading doors allowed to close.

As shown, the receptacle 5 comprises a hinged door 6 with a key operated lock 'I which is opened by the owner of the receptacle when he wishes to remove the delivered mechandise from the container. At the top or in any face of the receptacle not occupied by the door, it is provided with opposite side frames 8 between which are mounted hinged loading doors 9 and II), each having a spring II tending to close the door and to press it against the side frames 8.

Within the receptacle is an article carrier having a bottom I2, connected side strips I3 with slots I4 therein, and an upper collar I5 connected to the upper ends of the side strips I3 and extending closely within and entirely around the receptacle. Extending through the slots I4 and attached to the adjacent inner walls of the receptacle are headed rivets I6 upon which the carrier is mounted for vertical sliding movement. A spring I'I attached at one end to the carrier and at the other end to a xed projection I8 within the receptacle tends to draw the carrier to its uppermost position as shown in Fig. 3, the carrier resting upon the bottom of the receptacle when it is loaded as shown in Fig. 2.

At the top of the receptacle between the collar I5 and the inside of the container are two spring arms 2B, each attached at its lower end to the receptacle as by riveting or spot Welding, and having its upper end free and adapted to spring inwardly as shown in Fig. 2 but to be pressed tightly against the receptacle when the carrier is raised so that the upper ends of the fingers 20 will extend beyond the ends of the loading doors 9 and I0, allowing them to open freely, but engaging the inner sides of the doors and preventing them from opening when the carrier is loaded as rshown in Fig. 2.

In order to prevent an unauthorized person from inserting a thin plate between the loading doors 9 and I in their closed position, one of the doors may be formed with a lip or projection 2l which overlaps or extends below the other door as shown more clearly in Fig. 4 so that when the loading doors are closed and locked by the spring ngers 20 they cannot be re-opened until the carrier is raised by its spring II.

This container is secured to a post or any suitable support by inserting fastening bolts or screws from the inside of the container through the fastening openings 22 which may be in any of the sides or bottom of the container. It is obvious that this construction may also be built into or through a wall so that it is accessible from the insideV of a house, for example, by the'customer, although lled from the outside through the opening doors by a delivery man.

This construction is particularly designed and intended for delivery service of any kind in which, after the delivery is made, the ordinary loading door cannot be again operated until the merchandise already in the container has been removed in an authorized manner through the withdrawal door 6. It is obviousthat various changes may be made in the parts and their arrangement without departing from, the scope of the invention. Y

I claim: 1. A safety parcel receptacle having an opening with a spring pressed inwardly openingV door, a door latch comprising a iiat spring secured at one end to the-inside of the receptacle and the other end free and tending to flex inwardly near the opening into the path of the door and to engage the inside of the door when closed, a support in the container movable by aV weight placed thereon through said opening, and means carried by and movable with said support to engage and press the free eXed end of the spring toward the receptacle and thus to release the latch when there is no weight on the support.

2. A safety parcel receptacle having a top opening with spring pressed inwardly opening doors, a door latch comprising iiat springs posicluding an inner collar movable therewith to engage theleXed inner projections ofthe springs, moving the free springrends against thecontainer to release the' door latch and 'allowing the free ends to flex outwardly to lock the doors closed when the collar is moved toward the secured ends of the springs.

DENNIS T. CULI... 

